Gear power take-off drive for hammer mills



2 SHEETSSHEET 1 INVENTOR.

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March 1952 A. H. B OTTORFF GEAR POWER TAKE-OFF DRIVE FOR HAMMER MILLS Filed Jan. 7, 1950 .A-- H. BOTTORFF GEAR POWER TAKE-OFF DRIVE FOR HAMMER MILLS 'March 25. 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Jan. 7', 1950 F X xv M m0 3 T 0 Mr H V0 4 m8 H W Q W g. l a mumm H l -w m m wm an Patented Mar. 25, 1952 s PATENT OFFICE GEAR POWER. TAKE-OFF DRIVE FOR HAIMMER MILLS Albert H. Bottorfi, St. Joseph, Mo. Application January 7, 1950, Serial No. 137,385

6 Claims. (01. 7415.6)

My invention relates to improvements in a gear power take-off drive for hammer mills or similar devices.

My invention relates more particularly to a gear power take-off drive for hammer mills of the type capable of being easily and quickly attached to certain standard types of hammer mills to permit a drive through a flexible shaft or universal joint from a tractor or similar power unit.

Hammer mills, as is generally known in the art, are used extensively in the agricultural sections of the country for grinding and cutting feed for cattle or other farm animals, and perform grinding and cutting operations upon various animal foods such as stalk corn, roughage or hay, and pulverizing granular foods such as ear corn, oats or other grains.

The usual hammer mill of this type includes a rotor upon which knives, hammers and other lacerating or chopping tools are positioned, the rotornormally being encased in a housing with a drive shaft extending therefrom, the drive shaft having a pulley keyed thereto so that the unit may be suitably driven from a source of power by means of a belt. Other types of drives at present on the market include V-belts or chain drives, none of which have proven entirely satisfactory for the following reasons:

Under a heavy strain the ordinary fiat belt will frequently slip, causing loss of power and decreasing the efficiency of the hammer mill. V-belts or chain drives have a tendency to slip or stretch and belt tighteners or other adjusting means are required in the assembly, thereby entailing more expensive and complicated construction which can very easily become broken or out of order.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a power take-off drive which overcomes any and all of the objections heretofore mentioned. a

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved power take-off drive for hammer mills employing face gears capable of attachment to the side of the hammer mill in the normal position ordinarily occupied by the pulley usually furnished with hammer mills of the type de- I scribed.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved gear power take-01f drive of the type described so constructed that it may be easily and quickly attached to the housing of the hammer mill, and capable of easy and quick attachment to the power take-off drive of a tractor or other'portable power unit.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an improved gear power take-off drive of the type described which may be installed as a unit on the hammer mill and in which the operating gears are sealed so that they may be efficiently lubricated and also capable of minute and accurate adjustment for the most efficient operation.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent in the following description wherein reference is had to the accompanying drawings, upon which i Fig. 1 is a side elevational view illustrating the ordinary farm tractor including the power takeoff drive, the gear power take-off unit which I provide, and a hammer mill of the type to which the take-off drive may be attached;

Fig. 2 is a generally front perspective view of the side wall of the hammer mill, the gear housing frame attached to the side thereof with both of the gear cover pans removed to more clearly show the otherwise concealed parts;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the hammer mill at the position where the rotor shaft is connected to the power take-off drive;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view through the parts shown in Fig. 3, the View being taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the driving gear and associated parts taken generally on theline 55 of Fig. 3.

In the embodiment of the invention which I have chosen to illustrate and describe, I have shown a typical installation of the gear power take-oii drive H3, mounted as shown upon the side of the housing I2 of the hammer mill, the hammer mill including generally the feed table 14 upon which the grain is fed to the housing I2, the discharge pipe l6 extending upwardly therefrom through the dust collector I8 and discharge chute 20.

The gear power takeoif is connected by means of a stub shaft 22 and universal joint 24 with the power take-off shaft 28 of the tractor 28.

Referring now to Figs. 2 to 5 inclusive, the rotor R in the housing i2 is mounted upon a drive shaft 30 which extends through the side wall 32 of the housing l2 and is normally mounted in a pair of suitable bearings such as the bearing 34,

- one mounted upon each side of the housing [2.

The shaft 30 normally extends beyond the hearing 34 and has a pulley keyed thereto, the pulley being held on the shaft by means of the nut member 36.

In the improved drive which I provide the usual pulley that was furnished has been removed, and I mount a pinion gear 38 in driving relation on the shaft 30, the gear being provided with a collar or spacer 40 so that it may be held in the position shown on the shaft by the nut member 36 screw-threadedly mounted upon the end of the shaft 30.

The pinion gear 38 is adapted to be driven by a face gear 42, which in one commercial form has a 4 to 1 ratio to the pinion gear 38 so that the usual tractor take-off speed of 550 R. P. M. may be increased to 2200 R. P. M. which is the standard or preferred rate of speed for the rotor of this type of hammer mill.

The face gear 42 may be mounted upon a stub shaft 44, the shaft being mounted in suitable ball bearing units 46 and 48.

The frame which carries the power take-off gears may include a U-shaped bracket 50 which is channel shaped in cross section, having the vertical wall or bight 52 and the horizontal ledges 54 and 56, the end walls or legs 58 and 60, and a pair of fastening pad members 62 and 64 through which suitable bolts 66 connect the same to the side wall 32 of the housing l2.

The frame member may also include a U-shaped box-like structure or housing 68 having the chamber therein within which the gears 38 and 42 are positioned. The chamber 70 may be closed by suitable top and bottom cover plates or cover elements 12 and I4, suitable gaskets 16 being provided to effectively seal the chamber so that when oil is introduced into the same it will normally be prevented from leaking out.

Since minute alignment or adjustment between the gears 38 and 42 is ordinarily necessary, I have provided a pair of adjusting screws 18 and 80 provided with the usual lock nuts 82 so that the adjustment may be made and the bearings fixedly held in position. To more effectively secure the frame 50 to the side 32 of the housing, I have provided the brace 84 rigidly connected between the housing and the frame.

The shaft 44, as previously mentioned, may be keyed in driving relation to one portion 86 of the universal drive member 24 so that an'effective drive from a tractor or other portable source of power is easily obtained.

In order to prevent misalignment of the shaft 30 in its bearings 34 on opposite sides of the housing i2, I have provided a bracing angle member 86 secured to the inner side of the wall 52 of the frame 50 to prevent any misalignment of the shaft 30 when the bearings 46 and 48 are adjusted. I also provide a cap 88 and felt gasket 80 between the cap and the side wall 92 of the housing 68 to effectively enclose the end of the shaft 30.

From 'the above and foregoing description it can be seen that I have provided a power takeoff drive unit for hammer mills of the type described which can be attached to the side of the hammer mill housing after the pulley has been removed from the drive shaft, and a comparatively simple yet highly efficient gear drive has been substituted. The unit is so arranged and constructed that the gears can be accurately and'efliciently aligned and during operation will be continuously running in an oil bath so that complete and elficient lubrication is provided therefor.

Th unit, ascan be seen, is capable of installation or removal by the simple expedient of remov- 4 ing the nut 36, sleeve 40 and gear 38, and then removing as a unit the frame 50 and associated parts.

I have found that the gear .power take-off drive which I provide. is highly desirable to a vast majority of farmers for the reason that as most farmers have tractors or other portable sources of power of a similar nature, it is a simple matter to attach the same to the type of drive which I have provided to operate a hammer mill.

It should be borne in mind, however, that the hammer mill and source of power need not be portable, as the drive is equally attachable to a stationary hammer mill and a direct drivefrom a source of power.

While I have illustrated and described a specific embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made in the exact details shown, and I'do not wish to be limited in any particular; rather what I desire to secure and protect by Letters Patent of the United States 1s:

1. The combination with a hammer mill having a housing, a rotor therein and a rotor shaft extending through said housing, of a unit adapted to be attached to the side of said housing, said unit comprising a frame member secured to said side of said housing, a second housing secured to said frame member, said second housing being provided with a chamber therein, said rotor shaft being rotatably received in said frame member and in said second housing, a pinion mounted on said rotor shaft in said second housing, a face gear in driving connection with said pinion in said chamber, and a shaft for said face gear.

2. The combination with a hammer mill having a housing, a rotor therein and a rotor shaft extending through said housing, of a unit adapted to be attached to the side of said housing, said unit comprising a frame member, a second housing secured to said frame member, said second housing being provided with a chamber therein, said rotor shaft being rotatably received in said frame member and in said second housing, a pinion mounted on said rotor shaft in said second housing, a face gear in driving connection with said pinion in said chamber, a shaft for said face gear, and means for adjusting said gear with respect to said pinion.

3. The combination with a hammer mill having a housing and a rotor in said housing and a rotor shaft projecting through one side of said housing, of a unit adapted to be attached to the outer face of said one side of said housing, said unit comprising a U-shaped frame member having the free ends of its legs secured to said outer face of said one side of said housing, a U-shaped housing having the free ends of its legs secured to the outer face of the bight of said U-shaped frame member, said bight of said U-shaped frame member being provided with an aperture therein and the bight of said U-shaped housing being provided with an aperture therein in aligned relation with respect to the first named aperture and said first named aperture and the second named aperture being adapted to receive said rotor shaft, a pinion positioned within said U- shaped housing and secured on said rotor shaft, a second shaft arranged in parallel relation with respect to said rotor shaft and rotatably mounted in said bight of said U-shaped frame member'and rotatably mounted in said bight of said U-shaped housing and having one end projecting beyond the outer face of said bight of said U-shaped housing and adapted to be connected to a power unit, and a gear positioned in said U-shaped housing and secured on said second shaft and in mesh with said pinion.

4. The combination with a hammer mill having a housing and a rotor in said housing and a rotor shaft projecting through one side of said housing, of a unit adapted to be attached to the outer face of said one side of said housing, said unit comprising a U-shaped frame member having the free ends of its legs secured to said outer face of said one side of said housing, a U-shaped housing having the free ends of its legs secured to the outer face of the bight of said U-shaped frame member, said bight of said U-shaped frame member being provided with an aperture therein and the bight of said U-shaped housing being provided with an aperture therein in aligned relation with respect to the first named aperture and said first named aperture and the second named aperture being adapted to receive said rotor shaft, a pinion positioned within said U- shaped housing and secured on said rotor shaft, a second shaft arranged in parallel relation with respect to said rotor shaft and rotatably mounted in said bight of said U-shaped frame member and rotatably mounted in said bight of said U-shaped housing and having one end projecting beyond the outer face of said bight of said U-shaped housing and adapted to be connected to a power unit, a gear positioned in said U-shaped housing and secured on said second shaft and in mesh with said pinion, and means for moving said second shaft toward and away from said rotor shaft to adjust said gear with respect to said pinion.

5. The combination with a hammer mill having a housing and a rotor in said housing and a rotor shaft projecting through one side of said housing, of a unit adapted to be attached to the outer face of said one side of said housing, said unit comprising a U-shaped frame member having the free ends of its legs secured to said outer face of said one side of said housing, a U-shaped housing having the free ends of its legs secured to the outer face of the bight, of said U-shaped frame member, said bight of said U-shaped frame member being provided with an aperture therein and the bight of said U-shaped housing being provided with an aperture therein in aligned relation with respect to the first named aperture and said first named aperture and the second named aperture being adapted to receive said rotor shaft, a pinion positioned within said U- shaped housing and secured on said rotor shaft, a second shaft arranged in parallel relation with respect to said rotor shaft and rotatably mounted in said bight of said U-shaped frame member and rotatably mounted in said bight of said U- shaped housing and having one end projecting beyond the outer face of said bight of said U- shaped housing and adapted to be connected to a power unit, a gear positioned in said U-shaped housing and secured on said second shaft and in mesh with said pinion, a first cover element positioned over one side of said U-shaped housing and secured thereto, and a second cover element positioned on the other side of said U- shaped housing and secured thereto.

6. The combination with a hammer mill having a housing, a rotor therein and a rotor shaft extending through said housing of a unit adapted to be attached to the side of said housing, said unit comprising a frame member, a second housing secured to said frame member, said second housing being provided with a chamber therein, a pinion mounted on said rotor shaft in said second housing, a face gear in driving connection with said pinion in said chamber, a shaft for said face gear, portable drive means connected to said shaft, adjustable bearings for said last mentioned shaft, said bearings mounted on said second housing, and adjusting screws in contacting relation with said bearings to adjust said gear with respect to said pinion.

ALBERT H. BOTTORFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,333,490 Hines Mar. 9, 1920 1,818,819 Ross July 7, 1931 1,886,537 Evans et al. Nov. 8, 1932 1,961,809 Wood June 5, 1934 1,985,888 Day Jan. 1, 1935 2,015,707 Cadwell et a1. Oct. 1, 1935 2,028,786 Lamatsch Jan. 28, 1936 2,438,020 Rambo et al Mar. 16, 1938 2,464,059 Roos et a1 Mar. 8, 1949 2,479,144 Voycheske Aug. 16, 1949 

